Tablet and means for packaging same



ct. 9 1945, f

.w. F. WILHELM 2,386,416

TABLET AND MEANS FOR PACKAGING SAME Filed March 1, 1943 IN V EN TOR.

BY Warrmfmzhalm,

Patented l 9 1945 8 Claims.

- ing improvements which facilitate the ready removal of the merchandise therefrom, and which at the same time serves to fully display the said merchandise. 1

While it has been conventional practice to merchandise tablets in containers so constructed that the said tablets are open to view and inspection through the medium of transparent or translucent closure elements for said container, nevertheless where such material is in the form ofcellulose acetate material or the like, such as the product sold under the name Cellophane, a great deal of difliculty has been experienced in fracturing the package to remove the tablets or the like.

It is accordingly an object of the present invention to improve such packages by the provision of means which facilitates the fracturing or rupture of the closure elements to permit the ready removal of the said tablets or the like.

A further object of the present invention .is to provide for packaging tablets or the like which are preferably retained in separate compartments or opening in the package to prevent damage to or injury of the same during their transportation from place to place, yet so exposed to view that the same can be used as desired.

The present invention is predicated upon a desire to form the said tablets or container with means which upon application of pressure in the vicinity thereof, causes one or more of the closure elements of the container to be fractured or ruptured, which procedure is extremely difficult to accomplish in packagedmerchandise of the type under consideration.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a novel article of manufacture in the form of a tablet having an abrupt and sharp edge formation which is "adapted to cooperate witnclosure elements of the type above indicated, and upon application of pressure in the vicinity thereof to rupture or fracture the same.

Other objects, features, capabilities and advantages are comprehended by the invention, as Will later appear and as are inherently possessed thereby,

Referring to the drawing Figure 1 is a view in perspective of a container for merchandise involving the improvements according to the present invention;

Figure 2 is a View in section taken in the plane represented by line 22 of Figure l. of the draw- Figure 3 is a view in perspective of a pill or tablet embodying the improved structure adapting the same for use in a container such as shown in Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a view in perspective of a tablet or pill adapted for use in the package assembly of Figure 1 of the drawing;

Figure 5 is a view in perspective of a further alternative form of construction for a tablet embodying improvements according to the present invention and adapting the same for use in conjunction with the container shown in Figure 1;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary view in section of a further modified construction in a merchandise package and incorporating novel features accordingto the present disclosure;

Figure 7 is a fragmentary top plan view of the device represented in Figure 6 of the drawing; and

Figure 8 is a fragmentary view in section of still another modification of the invention.

Referring now more in detail to the drawing, an improved merchandise package selected for the purpose of illustrating one form of the present invention is shown in Figure 1, a comprising a package or container which may be of any desired size or shape comprising the central body portion 2 formed of fibrous or other material and substantially rigid in its formation to prevent destruction or injury to the container, and which element is provided with a plurality of openings i therethrough which are aligned to form two substantially parallel rows extending in spaced relation longitudinally of the member 2.

Disposed within the openings 4 are a plurality of tablets or pills 6 which are held in position within the package formed by the openings t as by means of the outer closure elements 8 and Hi which may be formed of any suitable material. In the illustrative example of the invention as shown in Figures 1 and 2, the closure elements 8 and ID are formed preferably of Cellophane,

although the invention contemplates other similar transparent or translucent closure elements for the container herein disclosed. or if desired the said closure elements may be of opaque material. As is very well recognized, Ccllophane" has particular and desirable advantages as an element in a merchandise package because of its transparency, ils'rcsistzmcc to moisture and be cause of its frangible charactcristics which permits its rupture for removal of the merchandise disposed in the said container. It is also recognized, however, that while Cellophane can be ruptured, it is i'ten times dithcnlt to accomplish because or th inability to apply a tearing or ulling force to cause such rupturing or fracturing th "eoi. Accordingly, the present invention takes advantage the desirable characteristics of such a material and provides means adapted to cooperate therewith to facilitate the rupturing and fracturing or the same for removal of the con tents from the container.

, As one. illustrative form of such means, the tablets or pills 6 may be formed, as shown in Figure 3, to include a protuberance 9 projecting from one of the surfaces thereof and being shaped in the form of a pyramid in which the surfaces converge to form a sharp point or cutting edge, with well defined sloped edges which readily penetrate the "Cellophane or other material forming the closure elements of the container upon application of pressure in the vicinity thereof, as might be effected by the users thumb or finger when the user desires to remove one of these tablets from the package. The "Cellophane or other material embodied in the closure elements 8 and I is, of

course, sufficiently pliable to yield under the pr-essure of the users thumb or finger. In addition to fracturing or rupturing the closure elements, the said protuberance 5 has the further function of facilitating the removal of the said pills or tablets from-the receptacle. Other forms of pro tuberances are contemplated by the invention.

If desired, the said tablets may be formed as shown in Figure 5 of the drawing, where the same further includes a projection corresponding to the projection 9 of the tablet shown in Figure 3,

,,but extending from the other side-of the said tablet. This formation may be desired to assure fracture of either of theclosure elements 8 and i0, and readily lends itself to the assembly of such packaged merchandise at relatively low cost for the reason that in assembling the merchandise in the container it is unnecessary to selectively arrange the tablets as shown in Figure 1, which might be desirable from the standpoint of merchandising displays.

As a further illustration of a tablet suitable for a container as shown in Figure 1, reference may be made to the disclosure in Figure 4, in which the tablet i2 is formed with a groove l 4 in one of the surfaces thereof, which groove is defined by relatively sharp and abrupt marginal edges at the surface in which the same is formed, 'so that when such tablets are disposed in the container of Figure 1, the user may readily fracture the closure elements 9 or It by running the'thumb or finger nail over the same immediately above the groove M of the contained tablet. By such operation the said tablets can be removed without difficulty.

As shown in Figures 6 and '7, equally desirable results may be obtained by providing a packaging element 16, substantially rigid in construction, and formed with a plurality of pockets or recesses I8 defined in part by the substantially vertical side wall 20 and the opposed sloping wall 22, which pockets terminate in spaced relation to the bottom of the member l6 to provide sockets 24 for receiving a plurality of tablets or pill; 26. In this type of container the pills 26 have their upper surface in spaced relation to the top of the container element l6, and the said tablets or pills are sealed Within said pockets through the medium or a closure element 28 of the type heresesame inabove identified inthe description oi the container of Figuresi and 2. By virtue of the disposition of the walls 2%, the closure element 28 which is secured to container element it may be readily fractured or ruptured by applying pressure in the vicinity of the side walls 26, for exampie, as by means or" the application of a thumb or finger nail to the closure element at the side walls as. Removal of the pills 25 is further facilitated by the sloped walls 22 which permit movement of the thumb or finge into sliding side engagement with the tablets or pill to lift the same from their sockets 2%.

Figure 8 is a further illustration of a modified construction for a container made in accordance with the present invention. In this form of construction the container comprises the. centrally disposed element 36 having a plurality of pockets or recesses 32 conforming substantially to the pockets or recesses 58 of the modification shown in Figures 6 and 7 of the drawing. The centrally disposed element. it of this embodiment, however, has the pockets or recesses 32 extending through the said member from top to bottom, and the pills 3d retained within the pockets or recesses 32 are contained therein by the bottom closure element 35 and by the .top closure element 38. The sloped wall 40, defining in part the pockets 32 of this embodiment, is so disposed however that the pills 36 can be readily moved into the position as shown at the right in Figure 8, by applying pressure to bottom closure element 36. The pills or tablets can then be moved along the slope 48 into engagement with the top closure element 38, at which time pressure can be applied to the closure member 38 adjacent the abrupt wall 42 to rupture the top closure element 38 to remove the tablets or pills from the package.

While the tablets or pills of the embodiments hereinabove described are shown as being of substantially cylindrical shape, it is to be understood that the same may be formed in various shapes, such for example as angular or square, without departing from the invention. If desired, the said pills or tablets may be plain or sugar coated.

While I have herein described and upon the I drawing shown illustrative embodiments of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not limitedthereto but may comprehend other constructions, arrangements of parts, details and features without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. In a device of the character described, the combination of a container having a centrally disposed element formed with one or more openings therethrough, contained elements disposed in said one or more openings, frangible closure elements secured to said first named element in closure relation to said openings, said one or more contained elements having at least one relatively sahrp protuberance extending above at least one of the surfaces thereof which face the frangible elements and in substantial engagement therewith to facilitate rupturing of the same upon application of external pressure in the vicinity thereof.

2. In a device of the character described, the combination of a container having a centrally disposed element formed with one or more opensecured to said first named element in clo'sure relation to said openings, said one or more tab element by application lets having one or more relatively sharp protuberances extending above the surfaces thereof which face said frangible closure elements and in substantial engagement therewith to facilitate rupturing of the same upon application of external pressure in the vicinity thereof.

3. In a device of the character described, the combination of a container having a centrally disposed element formed with one or more openings therethrough, tablets disposed in said one or more openings, frangible closure elements secured to said first named element in closure relation to said openings, said one or more tablets having at least one Wedge-like projection extending above at least one of the surfaces thereof which face the frangible elements and in substantial engagement therewith to facilitate rupturing of the same upon application of external pressure in the vicinity thereof.

4. In a device of the character described, the combination of a container having a centrally disposed element formed with one Or more openings therethrough, tablets disposed in said one or more openings, frangible closure elements secured to said first named element in closure relation to said openings, said one or more tablets having relativel sharp projections extending from the opposite surfaces thereof which face the frangible elements and in substantial engagement therewith to'facilitate rupturing of the same upon application of external pressure in the vicinity thereof.

5. In combination, a container element having a socket therein, a tablet disposed in said socket and having a relatively sharp projection extending from at least one surface thereof, a frangibleclosure element for said socket mounted on said container element on one side thereof and in substantial engagement with said projection, and a second closure element mounted on the other side of said container element and being flexible whereby said projection may be forced against said first-mentioned closure element to puncture said first-mentioned closure of pressure on said secand-named closure element.

6. In combination, a container element having a socket therein, a tablet disposed in said socket and having a relatively sharp wedge-like projection extending from at least one surface thereof, a frangible closure element for said socket mounted on said container element on one side theerof and in substantial engagement with said projection, and a second closure element mounted on the other side of said container element and being flexible whereby said projection may be forced against said first-mentioned closure element to puncture said first-mentioned closure element by application of pressure on said second-named closure element.

7. In a device of the character described, the combination of a container having a centrally disposed element formed wi h a plurality of sockets therein, a tablet disposed in each of said sockets, and a frangible closure element secured to said first named element in closure relation to said sockets, said sockets being defined in part Ly a marginal edge abruptly disposed with respect to said closure element to facilitate rupturing thereof upon application of pressure in the vicinity of said marginal edge, each of said tablets being provided adjacent to the margin thereof with a relativel sharp projection for engaging said frangible closure element and for rupturing the same upon application of said pressure.

8. In a device of'the character described, the combination of a container formed with a pluralit of compartments characterized as having at least one frangible closure element, and a contained element disposed in each of said compartments, the surface of said elements facing the frangible element having at leastone relatively sharp protuberance extending above the surface .of said element and in substantial engagement with said frangible element to facili-- tate rupturing of the same upon application of external pressure in the vicinity thereof.

WARREN F. WILHELM. 

